Into The Dark
by Ptikobj
Summary: Just like my other story, this one isn't so good, so don't judge me by this. If you must judge me, first read The Pride Lands: Part I.
1. Prologue

Into The Dark

Chapter 1:

Prologue

I am not Walter Disney, nor am I related to Disney in any way, except for being a fan of his work. 'Into the Dark', chapter 1: 'Prologue' is property of Troy Wong, a.k.a. Chookooblash, and is not to be resold or posted on any other site without my permission.

I hope you enjoy reading my stories. Long live the king!

**Author's Notes: Okay everyone, I know that I've been very harsh on people who have prologues as their first chapters, and here I am doing just that. So, to make up for that, all of you out there who I've been harsh towards, because they did what I'm doing now can flame. Go ahead, flame all you want! I don't care. Take out your anger. Rarrgh. **

The lands beyond the borders of King Mufasa's kingdom have grown dark, and evil. The Pridelands are the only places in all of Africa that are truly prospering, or so it seems… But even then, there are those who seek to destroy it. Vile hyenas will not stop in their attacks from past the northern border, and slowly, right in front of the king's eyes, the health of his people is draining away. Food supplies are slowly diminishing, as the days grow shorter and hotter, while the nights stretch longer and dryer.

An unseen evil lurks when the sun is down. I see it with my own eyes, every night. I can smell it. The entity may be lurking at the mighty trunk of my very own Tree of Life one second, but the next, it could be anywhere. Bright lights roam the ground… Dark figures in strange rags step on the borderline of the Palace Above, the Fires Below, and the Pridelands, like a lion walks down the side of Pride Rock.

The holy land of our ancestors is no longer so holy. Things… Things not from this world have broken loose. They come from above, they come from below, and most of all, they come from all sides. They take the creatures of the Pridelands as if stripping leaves from trees.

Over time, countless thousands have been taken. The numbers are terrifying. What are they taken by, you ask? Few of us know… None of us want to. We know, that one day, they will take over, and in the end, there will be none of us left. In our fear, we have given them a name. They are "the Evil Ones".

I knew five of the people who were taken by them. They were my closest friends. Through the magic of the Dream Pool, I have seen what they went through… It was a long, long time ago. The horror, the pain, the damage sustained by their spiritual, physical and mental well-being- I saw it all, and I would never wish it upon anyone; even the most treacherous, cowardly, dishonorable creature to ever set foot on this world.

One was a lion; the worst huntress ever to live in Pride Rock. She could not stalk… She could not hide. That is what lead her to her downfall. The next to be taken was a rogue Rhinoceros. He was the strongest beast you would ever see, but even that could not save him. Third… Some may have said that creature may have deserved death, but I certainly do not, because I see things from his point of view… He received death, nonetheless, not deserving the terror that came with it. He was a hyena. To see the fourth of them leave hurt me most. He was a baboon, like me; my very own apprentice.

But the last of them was definitely the most amazing. The last of them was a young wildebeest… I remember her childhood well. I would visit her herd once every month. She would be so happy to see me, and in the night, we would sit down together, and I would tell her the many stories I have picked up in my time… She experienced the full terror of it all, and no matter what the Evil Ones did to her, she would not break. Most incredible of all, is that she came back to tell the tale.

You are interested now. I can see it in your eyes. I will tell you the stories of my dear friends, as you wish, but listen at your own risk, and be careful. The Evil Ones have many agents in this land. Do not become one of them.


	2. An Old Evil

Into The Dark

Chapter 2:

An Old Evil

I am not Walter Disney, nor am I related to Disney in any way, except for being a fan of his work. 'Into the Dark', chapter 2: 'An Old Evil' is property of Troy Wong, a.k.a. Chookooblash, and is not to be resold or posted on any other site without my permission.

I hope you enjoy reading my stories. Long live the king!

They say the day your child is born is a day you will never forget. Have you ever wondered who 'they' are? Well, that's me and the Inner Circle, of course, silly! I don't see a bunch of dim-witted meerkats sitting around, thinking up proverbs and prophecies- do you?

Anyway, on with the story. I can assure you that King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi would never forget the night their son, Simba was born. It was exciting indeed, but that is another story, for another time.

They had asked me to present the young prince to the Great Kings of the Past the morning after he was born. I accepted it right away. I could not wait for it. Hard to believe, maybe, but then, you haven't seen much of me, have you?

Alright, don't scare me. Well, I was so nervous, and anxious, and having flying insects fluttering around in my gut- I just could not get this idea out of my head. I looked into the Dream Pool every day and night to see if he had been born, and, as a result, I was the first to know- first, even before Mufasa! By the time poor Zazu had gotten to my tree, I was halfway there… Late, as usual, but, well, you know.

As I lifted him up into the air, and the clouds broke apart, a blinding light shot down from above, and with it came the voices of all the Great Kings of the Past I had ever heard of, and some that I hadn't. A beautiful roaring scream erupted from the crowd below, mixed with cheers and whoops. At that point, I became very confident that Simba would be something special.

That's what they had told me, at least. And they were right, with the death in the gorge, and the return, and the defeat of Scar, and the returning to power. But they told me something else, too. Their words were burnt into my memory like stones that have been left in the sun all noon do to skin when they are pressed into it.

Their booming voices united, and spoke to me in a language that no one else knew; a language that no one else could even hear.

Translated to your tongue, they said, _"Great Shaman Rafiki of the Pridelands, you have saved our kingdom one hundred times over by the point of your staff and the palm of your hand. An old evil returns to the land at midnight, tomorrow. It will once again take the residents of our holy land, and their first victim will be the one you know as 'Varapena'. They will attack with force, and by the dark of night. They will attack without warning, and they will take her. Please, Great Shaman Rafiki of the Pridelands. Raise that number from one hundred to one hundred and one. Save our holy land once again."_

When they stopped, and the light lessened, I nearly fell over. You may have seen me. Oh, wait. Silly of me to say that. You wouldn't know, right?

But, Varapena? She was a lioness in the pride. Mufasa's pride. I could not bear to see her taken by this evil the Great Kings spoke of. When I brought Simba back down onto safe ground and returned him to his parents, I saw her eyes staring back at me. She had a smile on her face. I think she must have seen my close shave on falling.

I could not tell her. The Great Kings' messages and visions were for theirs and my ears and eyes only. The best I could do was to try and stop it from happening. But that meant that I had less than two days and a night… Not good at all…

**xxx**

"Great presentation, Rafiki." congratulated Varapena, with a smirk on her face.

Rafiki smiled back in a curious sort of way. "Why the wide smile?" he asked, frowning comically. Vara burst out giggling. "Ah! I knew it!"

She managed to stop herself at that point. "Sorry, I just can't help myself."

"You saw me, did you not?" asked the shaman, curiously.

"Didn't everyone?" She just couldn't seem to get that smile from her face.

Rafiki hated to be the one to give in and mention his 'fall', but he had to. He could see it in her eyes that she knew, but he did it anyway. Even if you normally know what someone is going to say, it doesn't mean you can't pretend that you're able to have normal, productive conversations.

"You saw me nearly tripping." said Rafiki.

"Oh, what are you talking about?" she asked in return, with a strong hint of sarcasm in her voice.

She burst out in an uncontrollable fit of joyous laughter another time, and the two embraced in a friendly hug. They hadn't seen each other in months now.

"It is good to see you again, Vara."

As they backed away from each other and the hug ended, Rafiki's face darkened. He clutched his staff with both hands and held it so that it was a perfectly vertical line; a sign of worry.

"What's wrong?" asked Varapena.

"Oh, nothing." And suddenly, Rafiki's face brightened. "I hate to say goodbye so early, but I should be going now."

"Really? Must you?"

"I'm afraid so."

"But… Why?" she asked. Varapena was that kind of inquisitive person that always had to know everything.

"Just some very important business. You know. Conference with the wildebeests, a chat with the elephants… I'm a very busy baboon, you know." he replied in a lighthearted way.

She chuckled. "Alright then. I'll see you later… Hopefully it'll be a shorter wait than two months this time, yeah?"

"We may meet sooner than you expect."

"Does this have anything to do with my birthday in a week?"

And with that, his face darkened again. Her birthday in a week. For one, he had totally forgotten. And for another thing, these evil beings were due in the land at midnight, the next day. It was all in his hands- whether she would celebrate her 24th, in lion years, of course, or whether she would fall, so close, yet so far.

"Just be careful tomorrow night, okay? Stay here. Do not go anywhere. Just stay here."

"Yeah, yeah. Seeyah, Rafiki."

"Goodbye."

**xxx**

Rafiki rushed from Pride Rock, all the way back to the Tree of Life as fast as he could- as fast as he ever would. When he reached his destination after a record time, he climbed up the age-old trunk of his home, grabbed several strange-looking flowers, herbs, and various 'magical' items.

He leapt back down to the ground with unnatural swiftness, landing as quietly as a feather lands on water, then darting into the circle of trees that surrounded the Dream Pool like a speeding bullet.

Once inside, he set down his items, and sat down himself, then looked into the crystal clear waters of the pond. Its purity and tranquility were like a light illuminating the darkness in a cave; lights amongst the darkness of the world. The mirror created a perfect reflection of Rafiki's face, and as he stared, the eyes of his counterpart began to look like they were observing him. But there was no time for that.

Without any disturbance, the water began to stir and ripple like miniature waves at a miniature beach and in place of Rafiki's reflection formed the shining face of another mandrill.

"Barkara." greeted Rafiki.

"What makes you call upon me, Rafiki?" asked the creature.

"The Great Kings have warned me of a great evil returning to this land. They are known as the Evil Ones. -"

"The Evil Ones?" asked Barkara. He seemed worried. Rafiki had never seen him worried, at all.

"How do you know of them?" asked the shaman.

The face in the pond paused. "That is none of your concern. What do you want to know of them?"

"I want to know how to stop them."

"Stop them? Oh, no. You cannot stop the evil ones. When you banish one, ten more rise to take its place… You can only slow them, and even then, when you pause to look at the bigger picture, you are actually helping them."

"Are you sure of this?"

"Yes. I swear on my honor as a past shaman and your mentor. But there was one strange incident… It was before I had ever met you, even before you had been born. The Evil Ones had invaded the forests of the lemurs of the Inner Circle overnight. Loperi had sent a single messenger to call for help. We, the mandrills, were closest to their sacred forests, and so we were the first to arrive. It took us just five minutes to get there, but by that time, they had taken everyone… It was terrible. But the thing is, they never returned after that. The kingdom was safe again."

Rafiki seemed to be puzzled for a moment. "You are saying that the only way to stop them is to sacrifice thousands?"

The spirit sighed. "So it seems."

"That is not right. There is a way to stop anything and everything…"

"It is good to see that you still remember my old sayings."

"I keep that one in mind all the time. That is why I find it hard to believe what you are saying."

"And why would I not believe my own sayings? I know there is a way to stop these things. It is simple- we just have not found that way yet."

Rafiki temporarily silenced himself to allow everything to sink in before saying, "Thank you for your knowledge, Barkara."

"Until next time."

They simultaneously nodded before Barkara's image blurred and faded away like water being poured onto the ground at noon.

**xxx **

I spent the rest of that day summoning and communicating with everyone from the Great Kings of the Past to sprites and spirits of the land. But, no matter who I questioned and queried, they all said the same thing that my mentor, Barkara had said. I was beginning to lose hope.

After just a short time, I remembered that I had to paint the picture of Simba onto my tree. I could not postpone it. This was very important. When I had completed my task, it was morning, just past midnight. It had also been raining without stop for hours. I had spoken to every single being that I could communicate with through the Dream Pool, and that included all of the Inner Circle. I had gotten nowhere, and I had wasted the whole day. Now I had to speak to someone else.

Lions were out of the question. Mufasa and Scar were the two oldest lions there, and they knew nothing of the subject. Hyenas? Leopards? Hippopotami? Crocodiles? Jackals? Wild dogs? Rhinoceroses? No. They were all too young. I knew no hyena, leopard, hippopotamus, crocodile, jackal, wild dog, or rhinoceros that was older than me. They may well have had their parents, grandparents, or great grandparents tell them of the Evil Ones, but that was uncertain, not to mention unlikely. I had to go to someone reliable, and I had to choose wisely, because I had less than twenty four hours left.

'But what about the herd animals?' I then asked myself. I thought it through for awhile, but then I found what had been right in front of me the whole time. I had to go to the wildebeests. Their Elders had astonishingly good memories, and they loved stories. They would exchange their true tales like we exchange words.

I set off to find them.

**xxx**

Rafiki spent the rest of the night with the wildebeests. He spoke to the Elders, and they had told him the same thing as everyone else had, plus one bit of extra information about the dark magic that the Evil Ones used.

He had to leave before his young friend, Kithara woke up. To him, it felt wrong to leave without telling her a new story- it had become like a tradition. But he had to. There were other things to do, and other people to meet. Being a shaman didn't mean you could sit around all day. Just like the king, Rafiki had to help keep the peace, even if that meant that he wouldn't be as concentrated on saving the kingdom.

Like a sudden downpour came the night of the Evil Ones' arrival. Rafiki had planted his mind into a deep state of meditation. This way, he could sense all the good and bad forces in the land, and beyond.

He waited for hours on end. At some point, he even thought that they weren't coming. However, when in meditation, one second in real time could stretch for hours, and vise versa. Plus, the Great Kings didn't lie.

Suddenly, he felt a strong pressure coming from the Northern Border, and cries of pain. The hyenas. They were the ones screaming. Something bad was happening. Rafiki began to breathe harder, subconsciously frowning.

This evil was different. There was a good chance that the approaching darkness was the numerous Evil Ones, but he needed to be sure. Many things came from the north, most of them, bad things.

Normally, spiritual threats would speak to him, or, at least, he would hear their thoughts. Not this time. These things seemed to be inanimate, just moving like brainless automatons, obeying their master's orders. It was confirmed. It was definitely them. He had to get up.

But he couldn't.

His muscles cramped. He could not even open his eyes. He could not scream out in pain. Even being so close to the Dream Pool and being surrounded by his magical items did not help. But it didn't make sense. If they did not speak to him, why did they create evil vibes?

Pure evil.

Could it be? If it was, then the kingdom was in more trouble than he had thought in the first place. Pure evil could not be banished, or stopped, or destroyed. It was equal to pure good, and this type of evil could only be destroyed by the vessels that carried it.

He tried to force the darkness away. If it got any closer, he would not be able to move at all. The freezing would no longer be mere cramps. Maybe entering a deep state of meditation was not such a good idea after all.

But how was he to know? He had never encountered it before. It was only spoken of once on the smooth surfaces of the Tree of Life. A single drawing made by an ancient shaman. The paint had been smudged so much over time that all that was left there was a patch of black soot covering the rest of the picture. Maybe that was what the sage had intended.

The evil was fighting Rafiki. It was resisting his mental banishing.

Trembling in pain, the shaman opened his dry lips and uttered, "I call upon the Great Kings… to assist me in banishing… this… evil!" shouting the last word with agonising force.

"I call upon the Great Kings to assist me… in banishing this evil!" he yelled.

"I call upon the Great Kings to assist me in banishing this evil!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs.

His eyes snapped open. He was no longer in meditation, and the evil was no longer interfering with his ability to move. The Great Kings had saved him once again.

Rafiki looked around. It was raining. It looked like it had been for quite some time. But there was no time to worry about the weather right now. All he grabbed was his staff before leaping through the trees and heading to the north.

**xxx**

He had passed Pride Rock. He could feel the shadows growing thicker, growing stronger. Rafiki was getting closer.

His panting grew harder, and it felt like acid was eating away at his legs. The shaman stopped to catch a breath. The air rushed down his wind pipe and flooded his lungs. Sweet relief.

A rustle erupted from the grass ahead of him. Slowly, he moved his staff towards his left hand, and grabbed onto it. Trying to slow his breathing, he looked around, moving only his eyes.

Something huge burst through the grass in front of him. It flew through the air like a dart, over his head, landing behind him. Then it turned around to look at him. Its eyes shone bright white.

"Reveal yourself!" shouted Rafiki.

There was a dramatic pause as the shadow moved closer. "Rafiki?" called a familiar voice.

"Why do impersonate people I know?" The thing moved closer. Rafiki backed away cautiously.

"No, Rafiki! Don't go! It's me, Vara!" shouted the voice. Indeed, it was Vara.

"Vara?" he asked, somewhat astonished.

"Rafiki, we have to go! We have to go now!" she yelled, sounding frightened and worried, all at the same time nudging Rafiki away from the north. "Rafiki! Run!"

"Vara. Vara. Wait." he repeated, trying to sound calm.

Vara looked at him, with tears of terror streaming down her eyes. She was a wreck. "We need to go- now!" she yelled, one last time.

Rafiki shushed her. They both looked around. "Vara, be calmed. There is no one here."


	3. First Gone

Into The Dark

Chapter 3:

First Gone

I am not Walter Disney, nor am I related to Disney in any way, except for being a fan of his work. 'Into the Dark', chapter 3: 'First Gone' is property of Troy Wong, a.k.a. Chookooblash, and is not to be resold or posted on any other site without my permission.

I hope you enjoy reading my stories. Long live the king!

We walked from there, back to Pride Rock. I had managed to get Vara to calm down a little bit, enough to walk by herself. But I could not help feeling the stress and trauma that she was feeling.

I was fearful, for both of us. And I regret being so. It could not have helped her at all to see me, the person she relied on, as jittery and wary as she was. But anyone would have been scared. Only a fool would not admit to it.

The Great Kings of the Past had told me that the Evil Ones were going to attack her on that night. The wildebeest Elders, the most knowledgeable beings in the land, had told me that these creatures had weapons that would never miss their mark. They were weapons that would render their target useless and helpless when they struck. While speaking to the Great Kings through the Dream Pool, I learnt that when the Evil Ones attacked you, they would not stop until they won the battle.

With all those odds against her, how could she have escaped alive? Do not misunderstand me. I was happy that she was well and alive at the time, if not a little shaken up, but it puzzled me that she was, what she was.

I thought to myself, 'Maybe it was not the Evil Ones she was fleeing from…' But if not the Evil Ones, then who? What could scare so much? She may have been a terrible huntress, but she was not one to cower in the face of danger, or a mere 'boo!'

I would not find out for a long while after that…

**xxx**

Varapena walked about a metre in front of Rafiki, to his right. The shaman had to watch his friend's back. She was vulnerable. She was in shock. If something were to happen- if something were to attack, then she would not be able to fend for herself. It would be up to the mandrill, in that circumstance.

The two of them had been walking for nearly an hour, following the Northern Border. They did not want to be caught out in the open. No words were spoken. Neither of them wanted words to be spoken.

But, as the grass around them started to move and rustle unnaturally, and bone-chilling laughs and howls began to fill the night air, they would both quickly realise that traveling along the Northern Border was not such a good idea.

"Get behind me." Rafiki told Vara, softly, yet sternly. Without taking her eyes off a certain patch of savannah grass that grew directly in front of her, she did so, without making a noise.

Rafiki clutched his staff in his two hands, adopting a defensive pose. The many trinkets and old fruit shells attached to the staff's upper parts knocked and brushed against each other with the movement, and even more so as a cold breeze swept through the large clearing.

The shells struck each other softly, making a sound similar to that of a small, wooden percussion instrument.

The laughs and howls grew louder, and drew closer, closer, until; out of every possible hiding space, walked a hyena, barking and snapping its jaws. There were at least fifteen of them, easily. Unusual for scavengers like hyenas, they were slowly moving to cut off their prey's escape routes, like lions.

One of them, a female, no doubt the matriarch of the pack, stepped in front of the rest and without hesitation she began to speak with a smooth, dominating voice that quickly rose over the now soft, uncivilized vocal sounds that the others of her kin were making.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" She grinned wickedly.

"Shenzi." greeted Rafiki, uneasily. He was frowning furiously. "What are you doing here?"

"Who are they? How do you know her?" whispered Vara into his ear.

Rafiki lightly waved his hand at her for silence, quickly moving it back after doing so, to grab his staff once more.

"Your friend doesn't look too comfortable." spat Shenzi menacingly, glaring strongly at Vara, who seemed to shrink behind the shaman. "Who reckons we should kill her quickly to end her suffering?" she shrieked to her gang. They hooted and yelped in frenzied agreement. They began to close in.

"Do not take one more step, any of you!" commanded Rafiki, preparing to attack. The hyenas did not slow in their advance. "You will regret your actions."

Just as Rafiki was about to swing his staff, the hyenas halted for, what it seemed, no reason at all. Vara and him both stood there in puzzlement, thinking that their ambushers were under a spell of some sort, or perhaps insane. They did not bother to follow the hyenas' eyes, to look at what was behind them.

The dogs fled, screaming in terror.

"Why did they run, Rafiki? What magic did you use on them?" asked Vara in amazement.

The mandrill realised something very quickly. His eyes grew wide with fear. He knew why the hyenas had run. "Step in front of me, Vara."

"Why?"

"Vara, please, just do as I say." She walked ahead. "Further, Vara. Further." he urged, until she was several metres away from him.

Like a bolt of lightning illuminates the sky on a dark, stormy day, two strong, clean cut beams of light burst out from two mysterious floating circles directly behind Rafiki. He leaped up, off the ground, making a one hundred and eighty degree turn in mid-air, gracefully, powerfully, and furiously cutting the air with his staff, pointing it at the lights. Immediately, a surge of strong winds came up behind him, blowing anything loose out of the way, into the mysterious shapes that hovered off the ground in front of him.

Vara struggled to keep her feet on the ground. Their fur and coats were ruffled. They were forced to close their eyes. The wind beat them so hard that they could hardly keep themselves from screaming out in pain; it was similar to being stoned.

But the lights did not falter.

Rafiki's feet regained contact with the ground, and fighting the ethereal winds whose help he had called upon, he turned to Vara, and yelled, with all his might, "Run!"

"Rafiki!" she called desperately, tears of hopelessness streaming down her eyes. "Watch out!"

He could hardly hear her over the sound of the gale, but he knew what she wanted him to do.

"No!" she yelled in pointless protest as she saw something shoot out of nowhere, piercing Rafiki's right arm.

Feeling a sharp, jabbing pain, like being stabbed by a long thorn, the shaman yelled out in pain. He began to feel dizzy, then lightheaded. Despite the harsh environmental conditions that he had placed himself in, his breathing slowed. His consciousness began to slowly slip away from him. Vara's screams echoed through his head, blended with the non-living roar of something that he had never heard before. They grew softer, and distant.

Then, there was nothing.

**xxx**

I woke up shortly afterwards. It was still night. The first rays of the sun were just peeking over the mountains.

Quickly, I lifted myself off the ground, but suddenly felt that same, distant stabbing pain in my right arm. I fell back down with a thump before I had ever gotten up, and turned my head to inspect the site of the injury.

But there was nothing there. No scar, no wound, no blood. Not even the thorn that they had attacked me with. I had not broken my bone. I had not stretched further than I could stretch, either, and I had certainly not sprained anything.

At that point, I was starting to think that I had been dreaming. I quickly set myself back on the right track of mind. I could not have been dreaming. I presented Simba, and then the Great Kings spoke to me… Then I spoke to them another time trough the Dream Pool. I visited the wildebeests for more information, and then I meditated and felt a powerful evil entering the land. After that, I ran as quickly as I could, to the Northern Border, where I found-

Where was Vara?

Against my pain, I got up and began to call her name. I called and called until the sun rose above the mountains. And only then did I realise that my staff was gone. Just like Vara, it was nowhere to be found.

I heard a squawk, and a flapping of wings. Looking up, I then saw Zazu, Mufasa's chief advisor and messenger, flying towards me.

**xxx **

"Rafiki, I bring word from the King." announced Zazu proudly, landing on a nearby branch.

"Yes? What is it?"

"There is to be another council meeting at noon, today." The hornbill paused, and looked away. "What issues his majesty wishes to discuss has been kept a secret from me." he continued, sounding almost ashamed and angry, that any secrets would be kept from him. "Your presence is needed."

Rafiki nodded to show that he had heard an understood. "Is there anything else?" he asked afterwards.

Zazu shook his head. Both of them bowed simultaneously and just as the King's messenger was about to fly off, Rafiki felt the urge to ask one more thing.

"Zazu, wait!" he exclaimed. Zazu stopped and turned to face the mandrill.

The bird sighed impatiently. "Yes, what is it, Rafiki?"

"… When did you last see Vara?"

Zazu frowned as he tried to remember. After awhile he replied, "You're talking about Varapena, yes?"

"Yes." Rafiki nodded hopefully, thinking that she may have escaped back to Pride Rock before he had woken up.

"Oh, I haven't seen her since yesterday morning." replied Zazu. With that, Rafiki's heart sank. He nodded, and sent Zazu on his way.

**xxx **

For the next few hours, I searched the land for Varapena, but she was nowhere to be found. I had to learn to accept that she was gone.

I still had no staff. Without my staff, I had nothing to fight with but my bare hands. That is not very good if your opponent is something with sharp teeth. So I made my way back to my tree to make myself a new one. The only problem was that I had to have it blessed by every person that was part of the Inner Circle if I wanted to use it in combat, and they resided days away from me.

I decided to go back anyway. Upon my arrival, I spotted a strange little bird roosting near my bed. When I woke him up, and after he calmed down, I found out that he was the new messenger for the Inner Circle.

I was to later find out that they just wanted to get rid of him.

But he had brought an important message with him. He revealed to me that the Circle had decided that it was time I trained an apprentice to take over my role as shaman when my time here had passed.

They could have let me search for a suitable pupil, or perhaps show me a selection of their preferences and let me choose from them, but they had decided to choose someone for me.

His name was Orrin, and he had been hiding up in my tree for hours, with the little bird, waiting for me. Apparently they had come together, to the Pridelands. I sent the bird on his way, and began to ask my new apprentice to show me his skills.

Simply put, he had no skills. That was a problem.

Soon, it was nearly noon. I brought him along with me to Pride Rock, where the council meeting was to take place.

**xxx **

Representatives for each animal of the Pridelands gathered at the foot of Pride Rock by noon. They chattered and conversed amongst themselves, waiting until the King was ready for them to begin.

Mufasa and Sarabi paced their way down the path that lead from the rock's main terrace to the base of the structure, nodding to the ones that noticed them approaching.

Further away from the rock, in the less shaded areas stood the herd animals. This group consisted of a wildebeest, giraffe, zebra, antelope, and various other herd animals. Closer to the Waterhole that had been formed just behind Pride Rock, stood the hippo and crocodile, both trying to avoid the attention of each other. Stronger animals, like the elephant and rhinoceros patrolled the small area, making sure that no fight was able to break out, and no one decided to eat anyone else.

Rafiki and Orrin arrived just before the meeting was about to start.

After reaching the natural ground, Mufasa began to speak. "My people!" he called. The small crowd settled down, and, although some were still worried about various others, they paid attention as best they could.

"You have not been brought here today, by famine, or pestilence, or war, but by something wonderful. In just a few days from today, it will be the birthday of none other than my own chief advisor, the majordomo bird of the kingdom- Zazu the hornbill."

"_Does this have anything to do with my birthday in a week?" _

Rafiki nearly winced in painful remembrance. It would have been Vara's birthday in just six days. She was so close.

The crowd had cheered and called in happiness as they heard their king's words. Clearly, they were excited as well. They were all friends of Zazu, despite his fussing, worrying, and exaggerating nature.

Mufasa continued, "Now, we absolutely must plan something this year…" His eyes darkened as he stared into space. "I… Forgot about it last year… That nearly cost me my kingdom… There was a war brewing… I had to prove the lions' alliance to the wild dogs… I asked him to tell them that the hyenas were going to attack them… Instead, he told the hyenas…" he rambled on. "He told the hyenas that the hyenas were going to attack the hyenas!"

"Ah yes. I remember that." muttered Rafiki under his breath, smiling.

"Mufasa." Sarabi nudged him. "Calm down. Council meeting." she reminded, nervously, as she looked back and forth from his eyes to the crowd to keep him on track.

"Ah, yes!" exclaimed the King. He chuckled lightly. "Sorry about that… So, how about a surprise party?" he suggested, joyously. Everyone else quickly agreed that this was a good idea, and in less than an hour, they had finished planning the rather unusual occasion of a whole kingdom getting together for the birthday celebration of a certain blue bird.

**xxx **

Afterwards, when the people of the savannah had been sent on their way, young Simba was sleeping soundly in his mother's arms, Orrin was at the Waterhole getting to know the common folk, and Zazu was busy, as always, arranging things and delivering important messages, Mufasa met Rafiki at the very top of Pride Rock for a conversation of their own.

"I was expecting I'd find you up here, Rafiki." said Mufasa, as he made his way over to Rafiki, who was sitting with his legs crossed, looking out over the horizon. He sat down. "What did you think of my idea? You like it?"

"I think it is good. Very good. Zazu will be happy that you care to put such a thing on for him…" answered Rafiki. "However, I feel it is almost certain I will not be able to be there."

"What?" exclaimed Mufasa in confusion. "Why not?"

Rafiki looked Mufasa right in the eye. He could see that the King wanted him to be there for the occasion. "I have been very busy lately… And I am not too sure Zazu enjoys my company all that much. He finds me… Annoying. I think it would be better if I did not go."

"Nonsense." insisted the King. "He will be as glad to see you there as anyone else who does."

Rafiki paused, and turned away for a long, gaping moment. "When was the last time you saw Varapena, Mufasa?"

"Vara?" He stopped for a moment to remember. "Only yesterday morning."

"Do you know where she is now?"

"… No."

"She has been taken."

"By who?" he asked in confusion.

The shaman turned back to him, his eyes now filled with sadness and woe. "The Evil Ones."

"But-"

Rafiki shook his head violently. "They were not just foolish tales that your parents told you to stop you from going out after dark. They are real things."

"What? You can't be serious." replied Mufasa, disbelieving.

"You must enforce a curfew. Nobody travels in groups of less then ten after dark. Not even during the evening. Nobody leaves Pride Rock at all, during the night. Not even for water. You must be strict with this one, Mufasa." he urged.

Mufasa nodded. "But how will we spread the word?"

"My apprentice and I will alert the herd animals. You should recruit however many messengers you require to alert everyone else. But do not tell them why. And avoid making things up. We do not want confusion. We do not want suspicion."

"I understand. Do you have any plans? Do you know how to get rid of them?"

Rafiki sighed, lowering his gaze. "No."


	4. A Curse Unleashed

Into The Dark

Chapter 4:

A Curse Unleashed

I am not Walter Disney, nor am I related to Disney in any way. The characters Simba, Nala, Mufasa, Sarabi, Kiara, Kovu, Zira, Vitani, Nuka, Sarafina, Zazu, Scar, Rafiki, Timon, Pumbaa, Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed belong to Disney. Mohatu and Thembi belong to other people. All characters in this story, not mentioned here are my own creations. Into The Dark, chapter 4: 'A Curse Unleashed' is property of Troy Wong, and is not to be resold or posted on any other site without my permission.

It would be time for the majordomo bird, Zazu's surprise birthday party in just a few days. Mufasa was one step away from begging me to attend. But I did not think that Zazu would like me to be there. It was more than that, really- I knew it. However, Mufasa was not just my best friend. He was the King, and so, I could not argue with him.

Besides that, I still had to train my new apprentice, Orrin, to succeed me and assist me. And also, I had to keep the Evil Ones at bay- not that there was any way to do that. But I had to try. That is what Barkara always told me. Ah yes. I also had to get my new staff blessed by the Inner Circle. But that was the least of my worries.

That was four things to do. But soon, that number would turn to five. I later received a vision of the swift capture of Bruno- the strongest, warmest-hearted rhinoceros I would ever know.

**xxx **

"Grip your staff firmly like this, Orrin." instructed Rafiki, clasping his own staff as he was teaching his apprentice to do so. Orrin copied his stance and actions, and did it well. "Let go with your left hand. Hold it in your right. Bring it behind you so that you are ready to attack."

Rafiki was about to do just that when a heavy sigh from Orrin interrupted him. "What is it?" asked the shaman suddenly, letting go of his defensive pose, and pretending that he didn't know what the answer was going to be.

"It's just that…" the boy hesitated.

"Yes?"

"Well, we've done this sixty-nine times, and-"

"Sixty-eight!" corrected Rafiki, voice loud and strong.

"Master, I don't mean any disrespect, but I think that after so many posing lessons, I'm ready to fight you. You can't seriously tell me that I'm not." he explained.

"Ah, yes…" sighed Rafiki. "Come, Orrin." he said, waving for his crimson streaked student to come closer. Orrin's stance broke. He took a step forward.

Rafiki held his staff out to him. "Look at this, Orrin. What do you see?"

Orrin stared at it for a moment, keeping well away from the weapon, almost afraid to touch it. His brow creased as he tried to think of something. Then it hit him. "It's clean. Unused. Looks like it's only a few days old."

"Correct!" exclaimed Rafiki in with a hint of ecstasy. He took a leap closer to Orrin. "It not only looks a few days old, but it is a few days old." he said, holding the object up closer to his pupil's face so that it was easier for them both to see it.

"But… Why? What happened to-?"

"My old staff, Orrin?' asked Rafiki, calming down as the shadows grew long and dark across his face. It was lost in one of my…" He hesitated as the bitter memory of Varapena's capture stung him once again. "In one of my later missions. I had to make a new one. This one." He glanced down at his staff. "Your teachers back at the forest of the Inner Circle must have told you something about staffs, yes?"

Orrin nodded. Without Rafiki asking him to, he began to explain. "To the oblivious eye, a shaman's staff appears to be nothing more than a pole with decorations attached to it. But that's rarely the case. With a staff, a magic wielder's powers can double. They also become a lot more dangerous and painful to face in close combat."

"You are correct." ensured the master. "But what must be done to the staff before it can be used in combat?"

"It must be blessed by every member of the Inner Circle…" Rafiki nodded and half-smiled. Orrin continued. "If an unblessed staff is used in combat of any kind, whether friendly or not, it brings uncanny bad luck to the owner of the staff, as well as grave misfortunes."

"So it seems that you have done your homework, my boy. You see now why I have been avoiding combat lessons with you?"

"Yes. I apologize for my impatience." he replied ashamedly.

"No, do not be ashamed!" cried the shaman, lightly waving off the apology.

"But master, why don't you just go cross-country to the forest, and get it blessed? I can stay here and take care of the Tree." suggested Orrin.

"No… I have much more important matters to tend to in this land. Besides, I can fight without my staff. These arms are stronger than they look, you know!" Rafiki chuckled. Orrin forced a smile.

"Couldn't I take it back for you? I made it here with no one but a small bird. I can surely reach the forest safely. It's only a reverse journey."

"No." answered the wise old mandrill firmly. "It would take you at least two days to get back. And now that the curfew is in place, it would be against the royal law to go."

"But couldn't you just wave off the law in this case? You're the shaman of the land. Doesn't that grant you a few favours?"

"Orrin, you are a rebel." He smiled. "Even if I could, I would not allow you to go back by yourself… That curfew came to pass for a very good reason…"

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused. "We've been going around telling the herds that this curfew is only here because a simple experiment, being carried out by the royals."

"… _But do not tell them why. And avoid making things up. We do not want confusion. We do not want suspicion."_

"Ah, Orrin, This is far more than an experiment." Orrin's eyes grew wide with puzzled worry. "These lands are no longer safe at night. A force has entered this kingdom- a very, very evil one. And a powerful one. It preys on us. I do not know why. But more importantly, I do not know how to stop them…" Rafiki trailed off.

"What is this force?" asked the boy.

"I will not lie to you. Not even against my better judgment. I am sure that you have been told of the 'Evil Ones', yes?"

**xxx**

One rhinoceros grazed alone, silently on the savannah grass. The sun was high in the sky, and the ground had been scorched so mercilessly that day that there was no moisture anywhere, except for that contained in the small, short blades of grass. In less than a second, day turned to night. But that did not bother the creature. He just continued to munch away lazily at the foliage around him.

But then, a ringing.

An unseen darkness.

Lights, everywhere.

The rhinoceros attacked the floating lights, but his efforts were futile. Suddenly, things were flying through the air. Moving too fast for anyone to know how big they were, or how they were shaped. All their victim knew was that they were completely alien in appearance.

And just as suddenly as the objects started to fly through the air, the rhinoceros was on the ground, unconscious, and breathing weakly. Then, he was gone with the lights, without a trace.

Rafiki woke in the middle of the night. He stretched, still comfortably sprawled out on the floor of his tree. Orrin was snoring lightly, deep in his sleep nearby, on his own bed of comfortable dry leaves.

"Another vision… Another victim…" breathed the shaman to himself. He got up and headed over to one of the branches of his tree, where a medium sized fruit husk hung, concave side facing upwards. He reached to take it down. Inside the bowl was chilled rainwater. Rafiki used this to wash his face.

When he turned around, Orrin was standing behind him, awake as ever. He had known Rafiki long enough to know that his master was most vulnerable when refreshing himself. Strange and trivial, yes, but useful for sneaking up on him like he had just done. He had also known Rafiki for long enough to know that he would only wash his face in the middle of the night if he had just had a disturbing vision.

"Another dream, master?" asked Orrin in a low voice.

"Yes." he replied. "The Evil Ones. They're taking another person away from me."

Orrin sighed in frustration. "They should leave your friends alone! Why do they only prey on those that you love? Are they out to destroy you?"

Rafiki raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that? I have not told you anything of that matter."

The boy stuttered in answering. "Well… Um… I may have-"

"You have seen it in the Dream Pool?" He gave his student a surprised look. "It seems that children aren't as obedient as they used to be." Rafiki smiled, eventually. "It is good that you have learnt to use the Dream Pool for yourself. That nearly makes up for all this time we've spent on posing."

"I just couldn't sleep one night, so I went down there where you always went, wondering what was so great about the small circle of trees. I saw the pool, and when I looked into it, these pictures started to come to life. I was amazing… And frightening."

"So, you saw the lioness and I that night? The lights?" Orrin nodded. "So now you know the true terror of the Evil Ones."

"Yes, master. Now I know why that curfew was ordered."

"Now, do you want to know what I have seen of you?" questioned Rafiki mischievously, walking past Orrin to get his staff.

Orrin cringed at the thought of Rafiki seeing every single unsavory thing he had done after his arrival in the Pridelands. "No thanks." he quickly replied, realising that Rafiki was waiting for an answer.

"Good!" exclaimed the shaman, snatching his staff from its resting place. "To be honest, I do not want to tell them…" There was an awkward moment of silence. "Well, alright! Stay up here. Do not come down, whatever you happen to hear… I will be back up before morning. Now, take care!"

"Alright." replied Orrin, still trying to swallow that previous uncomfortable moment. Rafiki took a running jump off the side of the tree that the empty fruit shell had been hanging from. Then, he was gone.

**xxx **

Into the crystal clear water he looked, waving his hands just over the surface of the mirror. Small ripples began to appear on the surface of the pond almost immediately. Slowly, it started to form an image.

But it was not the image that Rafiki had been expecting. Instead of the pool turning white, it turned black, like the evening sky. Instead of a shining shape came a tawny mass, and instead of the face of his deceased master, Barkara, came the face of a lioness.

It was Vara.

A gasp escaped Rafiki's mouth. Then he was taken by the pool. He saw things from a different point of view. He saw the last things that Varapena had seen.

**xxx **

That was the first time I had ever seen something from another person's point of view through the Dream Pool. From then on, I understood why she was so terrified when I finally found her. Those images haunt and puzzle me to this day…

It all started back at Pride Rock. It was evening, according to Varapena's eyes. She was with a group of her friends, which included Sarabi. I do not know what they were doing. My best guess would be that they were engaged in discussion, but of this I cannot be sure, for the magic of the Dream Pool concentrates more on vision than it does on hearing.

Then, time seemed to skip an hour. Now, Vara was crouched low in the grass, stalking a lone wildebeest. Its horns were considerably large, along with its entire body and its hooves were large and broad. It was strange for a wildebeest to be by itself. At first, I thought that perhaps the herd was nearby, and it was purely by coincidence that it was by itself. But I would later learn that my idea was far from the truth.

Vara took a step forward, and like it had been waiting forever to make pointless the last half hour of the lioness' tracking, it broke. These small noises were shouted messages to herd animals. The wildebeest lifted its head, revealing the horrified look on its face, and ran off.

Several times, this process was repeated, until the leader of the hunting party, the Queen herself, decided to call it a day, and leave for Pride Rock. Despite my warnings, Vara decided to venture off on her own, for reasons that I am still unsure of. Maybe she was aiming to hunt down that wildebeest or any item of meat on her own, to repay for her clumsiness. But as I have said, I do not know.

She walked on, looking from side to side, ahead of her, and turning towards the slightest noise in a flash. She walked for hours. She walked until it was midnight. And then, it happened.

A blood chilling chorus of hyena howls erupted from behind the Northern Border. They filled the air, never ending. With this came the same lifeless sound that Varapena and I had heard when the lights had taken her. No doubt, the Evil Ones were coming for her.

Out of nowhere, two circles of light appeared. They were right in front of her- right in front of me. The orbs moved closer and closer. With a scream, Vara ran away from them. She ran, and ran, all the time, the dominating, mystery, lifeless sound of the Evil Ones' attack rising over the call of the hyenas.

When the grass turned to sand, the soil turned to hardened dirt, and the howls disappeared, Vara found a large rock wall to hide behind. She ducked into its shadow, and tried hard to hide her panting. For one moment, she thought she was safe.

But she was never safe.

Shooting out of the dark of the night, two more circles appeared in front of Vara. She shrieked in terror, and ran as things started to fly through the air, like the splinters of a log becoming airborne when the timber is snapped.

It chased her. For most of the time, it was directly behind her. And all of the time she was screaming. She could feel its hot breath brushing against her back. It was constantly exhaling on her. The warmth made her sweat even more than she already was. The lights revealed the path ahead of her so well… It felt like at any moment, the glow would consume us.

Something flew past her head. She barely caught a glance of it before she stepped onto emptiness, and fell, tumbling down a gap in the earth. Her body was beaten relentlessly by the bumpy rocks of the incline. Then the pain stopped. She had reached safe ground.

More dread awaited her just a metre away. When she turned her frightened gaze to her right, she saw a rotting body- a lion. Its ears had been bitten off. Its stomach was open, and its intestines and insides laid messily scattered across the floor. The skin around its chest had disappeared; leaving exposed its ribcage and everything inside. The body lay in a pool of blood, and a countless swarm of flies circled it.

But most repulsive of all was the fact that its face had been torn away, leaving on a gaping, bloody opening in its wake. I have seen so many disturbing things in my time. But that was definitely amongst the top five of those things.

She stood there, disgusted at the corpse for a second. Then she gagged, choking, coughing, until the green broth of her last meal came pouring out of her mouth. And after she had just managed to regain her composure, she ran off into the distance, where she found me.

The vision ended. And there I was, cold and alone in my circle of trees. Through the gaps in the foliage shone lights, pure as the water of the Dream Pool, casting shadows across the floor. With this came the deathly sound of the Evil Ones.

**xxx **

Thrown back into reality like a brick through a wall of glass, was Rafiki. And there he sat as the drone of the Evil Ones surrounded him. Their eerie white lights flooded through gaps between trees like water, and wherever the place that could not be illuminated lay shadows like the giant black legs of a hideous spider. The breath of the evil outside the circle seeped in and circled the target.

Rafiki could smell it. The odor was unmistakable to one such as him. And from this, he knew that the hunter was just a few steps away from him.

But how long had it been there? One minute? One hour? Who knew? And who knew how long Rafiki had been sitting there, still as a lonely stone in the middle of the savannah? Maybe its eyesight was poor. Maybe the only thing that told it that prey was nearby was its victims' movements.

If so, Rafiki was safe. From what he had heard, the Evil Ones could not stand natural light. All he had to do was keep still until dawn came. Then they would disappear and let him go.

No. Like lightning it was upon him. It stood there, to the left of him. Inching towards him, through the trunks and bushes that brushed against its feet. Like a three dimensional shadow. Like darkness, personified. Like an overwhelming stench.

Now the unpleasant aroma of malevolence was everywhere. It was like trying to breathe in water. Any magic wielder of any rank or power could detect the horrible stink easily- they would know how thick the air was. It was almost painful to inhale it.

And when the wise old mandrill took the first breath in the true presence of iniquity, he knew that there was no way that he would be able to survive until morning. The shadow was doing nothing, now. It was just standing there, watching him. But he knew that at any moment, it could strike.

Ever so slowly, Rafiki reached for his staff. His fingers hugged the hilt of the weapon, and his arm brought it towards him. Breathing in low, flat breaths, he got to his feet. The shadow seemed to recoil a little in fear.

Rafiki took one step backwards. Then another. Two more and he would be outside the circle. He took one more step.

Then it lunged at him. It circled him, swirling around him like a cyclone, or a whirlpool of water- surrounding him, cutting of his escape routes. He fought the urge to fight with his staff for a short moment, but he knew that it would be better to be cursed with mere bad luck than to die right there, at that moment.

He swung it around gracefully so that his left hand could grip it. Then, when it was being firmly held in all ten of his fingers, he forced it outwards. The shadow appeared in front of him, fused into the wand. Rafiki pulled his weapon out of the mass of darkness, and struck it again and again.

Where he made contact, appeared holes like huge puncture wounds. But the remaining shadow would just flood in and fill the gap. It was impossible. He did not even know what he was fighting.

The shadow forced him back, back, out of the circle, into clear ground. His tree was nearby. If he could just reach the base of it, he could leap up the smooth timber walls to safety. Then, he would have time to make a spell to destroy the specter.

But Orrin was up there. He was probably sleeping. Rafiki did not know if that shadow could climb, or if it was cursed to stay on the ground. He could not risk bringing danger to his apprentice. He had to fight it to the death if the Pridelands was ever going to have a shaman again.

He was so much into the fray that he did not realise that he was losing until he fell and hit the ground. Then came a screeching sound. Unbearable as the stench of evil, it was so high pitched, and so loud that the whole kingdom heard it. Everywhere, animals were stirring from their sleeps just to collapse to the ground, ears ringing, head throbbing in agonising pain.

The shade exploded and expanded into a towering giant. It stood over Rafiki, screeching, screeching, screeching, until he could bear no more. Then, it rocketed towards him, shrinking down into a spiked ribbon, like something out of a nightmare.

The shaman shut his eyes and held his arms up to brace himself for the impact. But nothing happened. When he lifted his eyelids, all he saw was a quivering mass on the ground that resembled a puddle. It was black, like that spirit that had attacked him. Then it vanished into thin air. And standing behind him, was Orrin, staff in hand, posed just as he had been taught to do.

And in his left hand, he held firmly Rafiki's Seeing Stone. Smooth, shining and black in appearance, it dispelled illusions, and revealed the truth to any deceived eyes. Surely he was the one that was got rid of the shadow. But the seeing Stone was not for banishing spirits. How could he have done that? Unless…

Without a word, Orrin helped Rafiki up, and handed his master his staff, which had been dropped to the ground.

"Are you alright?" asked Orrin, even though he knew the answer.

"Yes, I am. Thank you for helping me…" Rafiki paused and eyed the stone in Orrin's hand more carefully. Yes, there was no doubt that it was the Seeing Stone. "What are you doing with my Seeing Stone, Orrin?"

The boy looked down into his hand. He had nearly forgotten that he had taken the orb with him when he jumped down to his teacher's aid. "I saw you fighting… Fighting the air. I wondered what you were doing at first, but then I realized it. It was an illusion. I remembered what you told me about the Seeing Stone, how it destroys hallucinations. So I took it down here. I didn't even know how to use it… But it looks like it works automatically."

Rafiki nodded, impressed by his student's quick thinking. "Yes, it does. It is a good thing that you know when to defy my orders, and when to obey them… But one thing puzzles me." Orrin's eyes became glazed with curiosity. "Tricks of the eye do not just happen like that. They can only be caused by certain spells only taught by the shamans of the Inner Circle."

Orrin stepped back in panic- fear that Rafiki would blame it upon him. But the shaman's lips just twisted into a smile when he observed his pupil's reaction.

"No, I am sure that you did not cast the spell." he said, reassuringly. "I have not taught you. It is against the law of the Inner Circle, to teach young ones, such as yourself, spells of that manner. I know a boy who found himself in a lot of trouble for creating illusions as a prank… He was exiled from his home."

"Could it be the Evil Ones?"

"No. They are just…" Rafiki's brow creased into a frown as he searched for a word to describe them. "Evil. They cannot cast spells like that. It must have been someone else. Someone such as us..."

Orrin raised an eyebrow. "You mean… A magic wielder? But what sort of shaman would commit such a crime, especially against you?"

"Someone who wants me to be cursed with bad luck." answered Rafiki.

"Huh?"

"I was forced to use my staff. I thought that those images I saw were real. You know that if the staff has not been blessed, it cannot be used in combat without bringing bad luck and misfortune to its owner."

"What happens now? Do you know how to get rid of the curse?"

"Hmm. Yes. There is a potion… Or, as most people call it, a soup. There are some very strange ingredients that are required for this. I will need your help, for I do not dare to even take a step towards you. This bad luck is not exaggerated one bit."


End file.
